Research Studies
Thank you for your interest in participating in our research! We have multiple studies and we are always taking new participants. We have listed our current studies below. You can find more information regarding enrollment by clicking on the links in the sidebar.
FSGS, nephrotic syndrome, unexplained proteinuria, and/or unexplained kidney failure
Focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), also called focal sclerosis for short, is a common form of kidney disease defined by a particular pattern seen when a kidney biopsy specimen is examined under the microscope. Patients with this condition have increased amounts of protein in their urine, sometimes greatly increased. When urine protein excretion is quite high, a patient may have what nephrologists refer to as the "nephrotic syndrome" which is characterized by low protein levels in the blood, and edema, or swelling, which is most evident in the feet and legs. People with these conditions often, but not always, develop some degree of kidney failure, which may lead to the need for dialysis or kidney transplantation.
The Laboratory of Inherited Kidney Disease at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, directed by Dr. Martin Pollak, seeks to identify and understand genes that underlie the development of FSGS. We have a particular interest in understanding the mechanisms by which genetic variation in the ACTN4, INF2, and APOL1 genes lead to human kidney disease.
Non-diabetic kidney disease in African Americans
African Americans are at disproportionate risk for non-diabetic kidney disease and FSGS in particular. Most of this disparity is due to two variants in the APOL1 gene. These variants confer resistance to trypanosomiasis, a serious disease in some African regions, and as such they have raised in frequency in Africa. Here at the Laboratory of Inherited Kidney Disease we are further investigating the biology that leads this APOL1-related form of kidney disease. If you are African American affected by non-diabetic kidney disease or have a relative with disease and you want to help with our research studies, we would like to hear from you.
Healthy Volunteers
Dr. Martin Pollak's Laboratory in the Renal Division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is looking for healthy adult volunteers to take part in a research study. Taking part would include a short questionnaire, a saliva sample, and/or a one-time donation of four teaspoonful (20ml) of blood from a vein.
Please contact Andrea at aknob@bidmc.harvard.edu or 617-667-0467 for more information on any of these studies.